


The Invisible Test

by Gay Romance Book Club (TheRealFailWhale)



Series: Shadowgast Deserves Nice Things [3]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Caleb will do so many things for Essek, Embarrassed Fjord, Essek has some weird kinks, Essek is a tease now, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Jester investigates, Learning New Spells, M/M, Shadowgast, Studying, why do i keep going there with shadowgast
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:40:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25052554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRealFailWhale/pseuds/Gay%20Romance%20Book%20Club
Summary: Essek uses unusual methods to test Caleb's concentration, and thinks he's found a way to add to that test. But Fjord isn't blind.
Relationships: Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast
Series: Shadowgast Deserves Nice Things [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1814653
Comments: 9
Kudos: 97





	The Invisible Test

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to Mindsend for helping me develop this idea <3

“Concentrate, Widowgast,” Essek chastised.

Caleb cursed and erased the shaky chalk line he’d drawn. “It is not so easy as that.”

“Come now,” the drow tutted. “If you can perform complicated magic in the midst of battle, this should not be difficult. One would think you are too easily distracted.”

From his kneeling position on the ground, Caleb glanced up and saw that Essek was still standing in front of him. Naked.

“What exactly is the point to this exercise?” he asked as he continued sketching out the spell Essek was teaching him. His bare knees felt raw from where they rubbed against the hard stone.

“Obviously, to test your concentration.” Essek began circling Caleb, taking in both the human’s work and his matching nudity. “If you can cast this spell with such distractions--”

“Temptations is a better word,” Caleb muttered as he kept his eyes resolutely fixed on the sigils before him.

“--then you should have little concern over casting it in battle,” Essek finished, drawing close beside Caleb now, who could feel the heat of the drow at his side. “You’re almost finished.”

“And what do I get if I succeed?” Caleb wanted to know. He could guess, but wanted to hear his teacher say it.

Instead of answering, Essek knelt down beside him and stroked his long fingers over Caleb’s back. He fought back a shiver, as it would only disrupt his clean lines.

Abruptly, Essek’s hand froze on his skin.

“What--?” Caleb started to ask but Essek hushed him. He wanted to look over his shoulder but if he stopped casting now, he’d only have to start over.

Essek chuckled before speaking. “Of course, Jester, I would welcome your visit. I will see you soon.”

At this, Caleb spun around to see Essek grinning widely. “Jester is coming here? Now?” he demanded. What was Essek thinking?

“I think it will be a most instructive lesson, don’t you?” Essek asked as he rose and strode over to where his robes were neatly folded on a desk. “You smudged your sigils, by the way.”

“That hardly matters now, does it?” Caleb made to scramble up but Essek raised a hand.

“You will stay here and continue casting the spell. In fact,” Essek paused as he held his robes up. “I think I will meet with her here.”

“But _I’m_ here,” Caleb pointed out, hoping the drow wasn’t planning what he thought.

Essek grinned more widely. “Exactly. You will stay where you are and continue with the sigils. I will hide you from sight so that Jester does not see you. And I--” he said slyly as he opened a drawer in his desk and tucked the robes inside. “Will disguise myself to Jester as well. But not to you.”

Caleb almost choked. “Why are you doing this?”

“The same reasons as before,” Essek said with mock severity. “To test your ability to focus despite numerous distractions. If you succeed in casting the spell with Jester here, I will give you a particularly delightful reward. Something you haven’t received yet. Now, begin again.”

Essek waved his hands as he cast a disguise spell on himself, and while Caleb could just tell that the drow had some sort of layer over his body, he could still clearly see the dark, lithe body he’d come to know so well. This would be torture.

But...something he and Essek hadn’t done yet? The promise was tantalizing, and though he might die of shame if any part of Essek’s spell failed, he couldn’t deny how tempted he was.

“Don’t forget to hide me,” Caleb grumbled as he set his attention back to the spell. Essek merely smiled and said the incantation over him.

* * *

A few minutes later, there was a knock at Essek’s door. Essek turned and winked at Caleb as he waved his hand to allow entry to his towers. He cast an orb that would guide Jester to his rooms and waited, watching as a naked Caleb crouched and scratched out spell lines in chalk. Essek had proposed this unusual form of test in part for his own enjoyment. He did so like to watch Caleb move around nude. Jester’s visit was perhaps taking it a little too far, but he secretly revelled in the knowledge that Caleb would do something with such a potential for embarrassment all for the promise of sex. With him.

Delightful.

A knock sounded on the office door and Essek shot Caleb a grin as he waved a hand for it to open.

“Esseeeek!” Jester trilled as she danced into the room. To Essek’s surprise, Fjord followed behind her, though he seemed preoccupied. “It feels like I haven’t seen you in _forever_ even though I know we saw you just last week when you came for dinner and got in the hot tub. Wasn’t that so fun? You should come see it again, Caduceus has found some new herbs that make it smell _real_ good. Is Caleb here, by the way, we haven’t seen him in a while?”

Essek glanced over to where Caleb was staring down at his sigils, and could tell that the human’s jaw was clenched tightly. He smiled back at Jester, clasping his hands behind his back and feeling his own bare skin.

“I have not seen Caleb today, unfortunately,” Essek told Jester, who pouted in puzzlement. 

Fjord, who had been staring distractedly at the floor, finally looked up at Essek and immediately made a choking sound. His eyes cast around frantically and when they slid over where Caleb was crouching, his expression drained off his face and was replaced with horror. Fjord immediately stared at the ceiling of Essek’s office.

Somehow, the half-orc could see through _both_ of Essek’s spells. Which meant he was seeing not what Jester saw--a nicely dressed Essek in an empty room--but instead a fully naked Essek with a naked Caleb crouching on the floor, casting a spell.

Essek felt his face flush and he brought his hands to clasp in front of his exposed genitals. His plan was falling apart.

“Ooooh, Essek,” Jester said in a teasing tone. “I think you’re lying to me! I think you _have_ seen Caleb and you don’t want to tell me about it! Why not, Essek, come on, we’re friends!”

Fjord coughed uncomfortably, eyes still fixed on the ceiling.

“I assure you, Jester, I have not seen Caleb, and certainly wouldn’t lie to you,” Essek lied, eyes flicking between her and Fjord, who carefully met Essek’s eye.

“Yeah, come on, Jester, Essek wouldn’t do anything _weird_ like that,” Fjord said dryly as he looked back up.

Essek risked a glance to where Caleb was still kneeling and saw that he was almost done with the spell.

“What is it you needed, Jester? I’m afraid I am somewhat busy today,” Essek said as calmly as he could.

“Hmm, well I still think you know where Caleb is,” Jester said, tapping a finger on her chin. “But okay! We were wondering if you could help us teleport later today. We don’t know where exactly we’re going yet, but I think we’ll need your help. Is that cool?”

“I think that can be arranged,” answered Essek, now eager for Fjord and Jester to leave. “Please let me know when you are ready to go.”

“Sounds good, Essek! Okay, we’ll let you get back to whatever it is you’re doing in your empty office now, so see you later!” As Jester turned to prance out of the room, Fjord gave one last pained look around the room, flushed, and followed Jester out the door.

As the door shut behind them, Caleb gave a triumphant “HA!” and suddenly everything in Essek’s office was floating several feet off the ground. Including himself.

Essek released the spells he’d cast on himself and Caleb and buried his face in his hands, groaning loudly.

“I think you owe me a reward now, Essek,” Caleb growled as he pushed himself through the air to where Essek hovered. He reached out to pull Essek’s hands away and met his eyes. “What is it?”

Face burning, Essek looked away from Caleb’s gaze. “I believe Fjord could see us.”

Caleb looked blankly at him. “What.”

Essek took a deep breath as the spell Caleb had cast began to wear off, sending them floating back to the ground. “He had cast something that allowed him to see through both of my spells. He saw me as I am, and then saw you.”

There was a lengthy pause as they settled back down. “Please tell me you are joking.”

“I am not.”

Another silence. “Well, I can never go back. I must forge a new life either here or in Nicodranis, or maybe Tal’Dorei, I hear that’s a lovely country. Perhaps even Vasselheim, though I am not especially religious.”

“My Caleb, I do not think Fjord will say anything to the others,” Essek said, only partly believing his own words.

“Probably not, but he will know,” Caleb pointed out, face still blank. “ _Scheisse_ , why did Jester have to bring him?” Caleb groaned and planted his face in Essek’s chest, as if he could hide from his friends there. Essek raised a hand and stroked Caleb’s hair, trying to comfort him.

“At least he did not see you in a more...compromising position,” Essek offered as reassurance.

“As this all shows, I will do strange things for you, but that, I think, would be too strange,” Caleb mumbled into Essek’s skin, moving forward to wrap his arms around the drow. “But you’re right. He won’t tell the others and he didn’t see anything too embarrassing. Though I’m not sure how I will face him later.”

They stood for a few moments, Caleb still holding Essek like a shield against shame, Essek stroking the man’s hair.

“I’m sorry,” Essek murmured at last, feeling chagrined. “I was not thinking when I...altered the test.”

Caleb snorted and pulled back to look at Essek. “At least I passed. And with such a distraction.” He shook his head and then brought his face close to Essek’s. “I believe I have more than earned my reward.”

Essek pressed a kiss to Caleb’s lips, finally letting himself focus on how Caleb’s skin felt against his own. “You certainly have, my Caleb.”

* * *

“So was he there?” Jester asked excitedly as she and Fjord exited the mage’s towers.

Fjord couldn’t get the image of a naked Essek and a naked Caleb out of his mind.

“Yep,” was all he said.

“And? What was he doing?!” she demanded eagerly. “Was he doing anything dirty?” Jester waggled her eyebrows at Fjord who was still trying to banish the memories.

“Nope,” Fjord lied, and Jester’s face fell.

“Then why was he hiding from us? Those two are so weird,” Jester complained as she led the way back to the Xhorhaus.

Caleb would owe him one.

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea why I keep doing weird exhibitionist things with Shadowgast, apparently this is just a kink Essek has in this version of my head canon


End file.
